Identification and monitoring of oil pipeline spill fire using space applications

Oil pipeline spills in the Niger Delta cause a great deal of environmental damage to sensitive ecosystems and losses of many millions of dollars to the Nigerian economy every year. These spills occur along the routes of pipeline infrastructure and other oil facilities like flowlines, trunk lines, flow stations, barges, well heads etc. The causes of these spill events include: operational or maintenance error, ageing oil facilities, as well as acts of deliberate sabotage of the pipeline equipment which often result in explosions and fire outbreaks. In this project, we have investigated whether satellite observations could be used to detect these oil pipeline fires. The Nigerian National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) database contains a total of 10 072 oil spill reports from 2007 to 2015. The space-based approach we considered in this dissertation included the use of data gathered by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites, which recorded 85 129 active fire hotspots in the Niger Delta from 2007 to 2015. Since the oil spill reports serve as validation data for these oil spill fires, we explored the capability of the MODIS instrument to study the spatio-temporal correlation between spills and fire events by attempting to investigate whether the largest spills by volume that resulted in fires could be detected from space in near-real time. Although the NOSDRA oil spill reports are plagued with several irregularities from the Joint Investigation Visits by the joint task force who visit spill sites, our approach in this dissertation automated the filtering process of the raw database to meet our research goal and objective. This study confirms that, indeed, fires resulting from oil spills are detectable using the MODIS fire products. For 43 of the largest spill events, we were able to establish a spatio-temporal correlation of spill incident reports with MODIS fires clearly associated with the oil pipeline infrastructure. Our study also shed light on the spatial and temporal characteristics of non-pipeline fires in the study area

Petrogenetic and Distribution of Trace and Rare-Earth Elements in the Marble from Igarra Area, Southwest Nigeria.

A multivariate statistical and upper background methods were used to interpret geochemical data of the trace and rare earth elements in the marble from Igarra in order to determine the provenance and elemental mineralized anomalies. Correlation matrix showed that Th correlates positively with both the light and heavy rare earth elements as well as Pb. The presence of Th and Pb in the marble reflects their mutual association as light ion lithophile elements (LILE) that show radioactive mineralization . Most of the calculated trace element  concentrations are within the background values except elements Ba, Sr and Zr whose contents in some samples exceed the upper background thresholds (UBT) of 68.77ppm, 1702ppm and 14.13ppm respectively. The rare earth elements (REEs) that exceed the UBT are La, Ce and Y. The viability of these anomalous elements is doubtful. The geochemical data reveal a depleted concentration of the heavy rare earth elements, (HREE) Eu ( 0.04-0.17ppm),Tb (0.01-0.2ppm), Er ( 0.09-0.7ppm) and Lu ( 0.03-0.1ppm) and an enriched light rare earth elements, (LREE), La(0.8-10ppm), Ce(1.4-11.6ppm), Pr(0.15-1.27ppm) and Na(0.5-4.3ppm). The marble contains measureable amounts of volatile materials represented by very high contents of loss on ignition (LOI). Enriched light rare earth elements (LREEs), incompatible elements Ba(24-122ppm), Sr(1076-2790) and Rb(1.95-7ppm) with  high contents of volatile materials and depleted concentration of HREEs are characteristics suggestive of mantle-  materials derived from metasedimentary rocks. Keywords; Factor analysis, mantle material, multivariante and Provenance

Petrogenetic and Distribution of Trace and Rare-Earth Elements in the Marble from Igarra Area, Southwest Nigeria.

A multivariate statistical and upper background methods were used to interpret geochemical data of the trace and rare earth elements in the marble from Igarra in order to determine the provenance and elemental mineralized anomalies. Correlation matrix showed that Th correlates positively with both the light and heavy rare earth elements as well as Pb. The presence of Th and Pb in the marble reflects their mutual association as light ion lithophile elements (LILE) that show radioactive mineralization . Most of the calculated trace elements concentrations are within the background values except elements Ba, Sr and Zr whose contents in some samples exceed the upper background thresholds (UBT) of 68.77ppm, 1702ppm and 14.13ppm respectively. The rare earth elements (REEs) that exceed the UBT are La, Ce and Y. The viability of these anomalous elements is doubtful. The geochemical data reveal a depleted concentration of the heavy rare earth elements, (HREE) Eu ( 0.04-0.17ppm),Tb (0.01-0.2ppm), Er ( 0.09-0.7ppm) and Lu ( 0.03-0.1ppm) and an enriched light rare earth elements, (LREE), La(0.8-10ppm), Ce(1.4-11.6ppm), Pr(0.15-1.27ppm) and Na(0.5-4.3ppm). The marble contains measureable amounts of volatile materials represented by very high contents of loss on ignition (LOI). Enriched light rare earth elements (LREEs), incompatible elements Ba(24-122ppm), Sr(1076-2790) and Rb(1.95-7ppm) with  high contents of volatile materials and depleted concentration of HREEs are characteristics suggestive of mantle-  materials derived from metasedimentary rocks. Keywords; Provenance, mantle material, multivariante and factor analysis

COVID-19 Syndrome: Nexus with Herbivory and Exposure Dynamics for Monitoring Livestock Welfare and Agro-Environment

The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a public health emergency that turns the year 2020–2021 into annus horribilis for millions of people across international boundaries. The interspecies transmission of this zoonotic virus and mutated variants are aided by exposure dynamics of infected aerosols, fomites and intermediate reservoirs. The spike in the first, second and third waves of coronavirus confirms that herd immunity is not yet reached and everyone including livestock is still vulnerable to the infection. Of serious concern are the communitarian nature of agrarians in the livestock sector, aerogenous spread of the virus and attendant cytocidal effect in permissive cells following activation of pathogen recognition receptors, replication cycles, virulent mutations, seasonal spike in infection rates, flurry of reinfections and excess mortalities that can affect animal welfare and food security. As the capacity to either resist or be susceptible to infection is influenced by numerous factors, identifying coronavirus-associated variants and correlating exposure dynamics with viral aerosols, spirometry indices, comorbidities, susceptible blood types, cellular miRNA binding sites and multisystem inflammatory syndrome remains a challenge where the lethal zoonotic infections are prevalent in the livestock industry, being the hub of dairy, fur, meat and egg production. This review provides insights into the complexity of the disease burden and recommends precision smart-farming models for upscaling biosecurity measures and adoption of digitalised technologies (robotic drones) powered by multiparametric sensors and radio modem systems for real-time tracking of infectious strains in the agro-environment and managing the transition into the new-normal realities in the livestock industry

Electronic waste, an environmental problem exported to developing countries: The GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY

Electronic waste (e-waste) is a rapidly developing environmental problem particularly for the most developed countries. There are technological solutions for processing it, but these are costly, and the cheaper option for most developed countries has been to export most of the waste to less developed countries. There are various laws and policies for regulating the processing of e-waste at different governance scales such as the international Basel Convention, the regional Bamoko Convention, and various national laws. However, many of the regulations are not fully implemented and there is substantial financial pressure to maintain the jobs created for processing e-waste. Mexico, Brazil, Ghana Nigeria, India, and China have been selected for a more detailed study of the transboundary movements of e-waste. This includes a systematic review of existing literature, the application of the Driver, Pressure, State, Impact, Response (DPSIR) framework for analysing complex problems associated with social ecological systems, and the application of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for evaluating the environmental impact of electronic devices from their manufacture through to their final disposal. Japan, Italy, Switzerland, and Norway have been selected for the LCA to show how e-waste is diverted to developing countries, as there is not sufficient data available for the assessment from the selected developing countries. GOOD, BAD and UGLY outcomes have been identified from this study: the GOOD is the creation of jobs and the use of e-waste as a source of raw materials; the BAD is the exacerbation of the already poor environmental conditions in developing countries; the UGLY is the negative impact on the health of workers processing e-waste due to a wide range of toxic components in this waste. There are a number of management options that are available to reduce the impact of the BAD and the UGLY, such as adopting the concept of a circular economy, urban mining, reducing loopholes and improving existing policies and regulations, as well as reducing the disparity in income between the top and bottom of the management hierarchy for e-waste disposal. The overarching message is a request for developed countries to help developing countries in the fight against e-waste, rather than exporting their environmental problems to these poorer regions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Geochemical and isotopic constraints on the source regions of phanerozoic carbonatites and associated alkaline rocks from the Zandkopsdrift complex of Namaqualand, South Africa, and the Marinkas Quellen, and Dicker Willem complexes in Namibia

This is a study of Phanerozoic carbonatites and related alkaline silicate rocks from Zandkopsdrift in Namaqualand, South Africa (55 Ma), and Marinkas Quellen (529 Ma), and Dicker Willem (49 Ma) in southern Namibia, all emplaced within the Proterozoic Namaqua Natal province. The aims of this thesis are to characterise their mantle source region, including the timing and nature of the metasomatism that affected their sources, and to constrain their petrogenesis, particularly the relationships between the carbonatites and associated silicate igneous rocks. These associated silicate igneous rocks include olivine melilitite, aillikite and alkaline lamrophyre at Zandkopsdrift, nepheline syenite and trachyte at Marinkas Quellen, and ijolite and trachyte at Dicker Willem. At both Marinkas Quellen and Dicker Willem, the trachytes appear to be derived primarily from fenitised country rock. The major and trace element characteristics, enrichment in LREE and other incompatible elements, large Zr-Hf-Ti depletions and high Zr/Hf ratios all appear to have been inherited from a metasomatised mantle source region rather than being the result of residual source mineralogy. The δ18O and δ13C values of carbonate in the study locations vary significantly. The δ13C values (-3.9 to -8.8 ‰) are within the range of mantlederived carbonatites, whereas the δ18O values are often significantly higher (+8.64 to +22.22 ‰, versus SMOW) for “mantle-derived” carbonatites. The higher δ18O values observed are most likely attributable to low-temperature, post-emplacement alteration by hydrous fluids. O-isotope thermometry of the silicate mineral pairs (clinopyroxene, amphibole, and biotite) gives close to magmatic temperatures (≈800 oC), whereas the equilibration temperature of calcite-silicate mineral pairs is lower. The carbonatite and associated igneous rock samples contain unradiogenic Sr and mildly radiogenic Nd isotope compositions below and above Bulk Earth/CHUR values respectively. This suggests that carbonatite magmas were generated from sources with long-lived Rb/Sr lower than, and Sm/Nd higher than, the primitive mantle. In ƐHf(t)-ƐNd(t) space, the carbonatites and associated silicate rocks plot as much as 8 ƐHf units below the terrestrial ƐNd-ƐHf array, indicating mixing of a source with moderate ƐNd and exceptionally unradiogenic Hf isotope compositions. The radiogenic Pb isotope composition of the carbonatites (206Pb/204Pbi ratios from 18.06 to 22.38), is consistent with a source having high U/Pb, akin to the HIMU mantle end member. The radiogenic isotopes of the carbonatites and the alkaline silicate rocks seem most consistent with a dominantly asthenospheric source, with minor contributions from lithospheric sources. There is little evidence supporting the derivation of carbonatites at the three complexes from parental hybrid carbonate-silicate magmas. Rather, the evidence seems most consistent with deriving the carbonatites directly from very low-degree mantle melts, which subsequently become variably differentiated, first by melt-rock interaction in the mantle and subsequently by fractional crystallization. The associated silica undersaturated silicate igneous rocks appear most likely to represent relatively primitive (melilitites) to differentiated (nepheline syenites) melts of metasomatic wehrlites that were formed by carbonatite-peridotite melt-rock interaction

Factors Influencing Consumers’ Intentions to Participate in a Formal E-Waste Collection System: A Case Study of Onitsha, Nigeria

Due to the increasing amount of electronic waste (e-waste) generated in Nigeria, challenges such as consumer disposal behaviors have emerged. An understanding of consumers’ intentions to participate in formal e-waste collections is key in increasing the level of participation in an e-waste collection scheme. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) creates an applicable platform for identifying the determinants of recycling intention. Based on the TPB, we develop a theoretical framework to study how influencing factors such as attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and environmental knowledge influence intentions to participate in formal e-waste collections. Additionally, we extend the research framework to examine whether the factors of infrastructure and economic incentive moderate the relationships between the influencing factors and intention. Using an empirical survey conducted in Onitsha with 384 usable questionnaire responses, we observe that attitude, subjective norm, and environmental knowledge directly influence consumers’ intentions. Statistical results also show that only the factor of infrastructure moderates the relationship between two influencing factors (attitude and subjective norm) and intention. The resulting negative coefficients of regression for the interactions indicate that the introduction of infrastructure will result in a weaker influencing ability of attitude and subjective norm on intention. Thus, the implications of this study in motivating consumers’ intentions suggest it would be beneficial for the government to provide functional and adequately managed infrastructure situated close to the community, such that it can be easily accessed by household consumers

Enabling Regenerative Agriculture Using Remote Sensing and Machine Learning

The emergence of cloud computing, big data analytics, and machine learning has catalysed the use of remote sensing technologies to enable more timely management of sustainability indicators, given the uncertainty of future climate conditions. Here, we examine the potential of “regenerative agriculture”, as an adaptive grazing management strategy to minimise bare ground exposure while improving pasture productivity. High-intensity sheep grazing treatments were conducted in small fields (less than 1 ha) for short durations (typically less than 1 day). Paddocks were subsequently spelled to allow pasture biomass recovery (treatments comprising 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 months), with each compared with controls characterised by lighter stocking rates for longer periods (2000 DSE/ha). Pastures were composed of wallaby grass (Austrodanthonia species), kangaroo grass (Themeda triandra), Phalaris (Phalaris aquatica), and cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata), and were destructively sampled to estimate total standing dry matter (TSDM), standing green biomass, standing dry biomass and trampled biomass. We invoked a machine learning model forced with Sentinel-2 imagery to quantify TSDM, standing green and dry biomass. Faced with La Nina conditions, regenerative grazing did not significantly impact pasture productivity, with all treatments showing similar TSDM, green biomass and recovery. However, regenerative treatments significantly impacted litterfall and trampled material, with high-intensity grazing treatments trampling more biomass, increasing litter, enhancing surface organic matter and decomposition rates thereof. Pasture digestibility and sward uniformity were greatest for treatments with minimal spelling (3 months), whereas both standing senescent and trampled material were greater for the 15-month spelling treatment. TSDM prognostics from machine learning were lower than measured TSDM, although predictions from the machine learning approach closely matched observed spatiotemporal variability within and across treatments. The root mean square error between the measured and modelled TSDM was 903 kg DM/ha, which was less than the variability measured in the field. We conclude that regenerative grazing with short recovery periods (3–6 months) was more conducive to increasing pasture production under high rainfall conditions, and we speculate that – in this environment - high-intensity grazing with 3-month spelling is likely to improve soil organic carbon through increased litterfall and trampling. Our study paves the way for using machine learning with satellite imagery to quantify pasture biomass at small scales, enabling the management of pastures within small fields from afar